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Global Medical Device Manufacturer Reaches Best-in-Class Learning Velocity with Workera, Upskilling Its Workforce Four Times Faster Than Industry Norms

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Workera analysis of over 800 participants finds a 42% average proficiency gain in 13 days and surfaces hidden capabilities across the workforce

PALO ALTO, Calif., June 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Workera, the trusted skills data layer for the enterprise, today released findings from a leading global medical device manufacturer’s workforce transformation initiative, documenting measurable gains in learning velocity, proficiency, and capability maturity. The analysis, drawn from over 830 participants across structured upskilling programs, shows the company reached Workera’s highest performance tier, best-in-class learning velocity, while surfacing and developing previously hidden workforce capabilities at scale.

Medical device manufacturers face intensifying pressure to innovate faster while maintaining the safety and regulatory rigor that defines the sector. That demands a workforce that can move fluidly between established competencies and emerging technical capabilities, AI, cloud infrastructure, digital collaboration, without sacrificing precision or accountability. The challenge is widespread: the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 finds that 39% of workers’ core skills are expected to change by 2030, and 85% of employers plan to prioritize workforce upskilling by then. This manufacturer’s results show how verified capability measurement and personalized development can unlock both velocity and resilience.

“What this manufacturer achieved isn’t a faster training program, it’s a different operating speed for capability itself,” said Kian Katanforoosh, founder and CEO of Workera. “Their active participants moved from foundational to accomplished proficiency in under two months, roughly four times faster than typical industry rates. That kind of velocity doesn’t come from more content. It comes from verified measurement. When employees and leaders can see exactly where proficiency stands and where the gaps are, development stops being guesswork and starts being precise.”

The Transformation Results

Workera’s analysis examined verified capability across the company’s baseline proficiency, structured upskilling programs, and continuous learning pathways. The findings point to both strong execution and a repeatable model for enterprise skill transformation:

Best-in-class learning velocity: Active participants achieved a learning speed of +39 points per week, well above the industry average of 5–10 points per week. At that pace, employees moved from Beginning to Accomplished proficiency in under two months, placing the company in Workera’s highest tier: Level III (“Best-in-Class”).

Rapid, significant proficiency gains: Across all participants who took an initial assessment, studied, and reassessed, scores rose from an average of 168 to 239, a +42% improvement, in an average of just 13 days between assessments. The gains show that personalized development paths let employees focus on closing their specific skill gaps.

Program-level overachievement: While the platform-wide gain matched the +42% benchmark, the company’s core structured programs exceeded it:Core technical programs: +53% average score improvement per employee, in an average of 14 daysGlobal enterprise programs: +44% average score improvement per employee, in fewer than 15 daysCorrecting the self-assessment gap and reducing training waste: A persistent workforce challenge surfaced clearly in the data: employees routinely underestimate their own capabilities. Across cohorts, 78% of the broader employee population underrated their skills. By surfacing these hidden capabilities through objective measurement, the company avoided the redundant courses that drive most training waste, directing development only where it was actually needed and moving employees into high-value roles faster.

Full transformation in core power skills: The company drove Teamwork to Level 5 maturity (“Successful Transformation”), with 84% of assessed employees ranking as Accomplished and none remaining at the Beginning level. Foundational AI and leadership capabilities, including Generative AI Essentials (70% Accomplished) and Digital Leadership Fundamentals (67% Accomplished), crossed into Level 4 maturity (“Broad-Based Capability”), establishing a resilient, AI-ready cultural foundation.

Why This Matters for Medical Device Innovation

Medical device manufacturers operate under constraints many industries don’t: regulatory rigor, safety criticality, and the need to maintain established competencies while rapidly acquiring new ones. These results show those constraints and fast learning velocity are not in conflict.

Verified measurement enabled three outcomes:

Confidence in AI readiness: With 70% of the workforce at accomplished proficiency in Generative AI Essentials, the company can deploy AI-augmented workflows across product development, manufacturing, and operations, backed by decision-grade evidence that employees understand both capability and risk.

Precision in capability development: By measuring actual proficiency rather than course completion, the business identified who needed further development and who could move directly into high-impact roles, eliminating wasteful training cycles and shortening time-to-contribution.

Resilience through cultural alignment: Reaching Level 5 maturity in Teamwork across 84% of the workforce reflects something deeper than a metric, a culture where learning is embedded in how work happens, not layered on top of it. That foundation makes future capability transitions faster and more durable.

The Broader Implication

What this manufacturer achieved, moving from baseline to accomplished proficiency in a core capability in an average of 13 days, sets a new benchmark for enterprise upskilling. It challenges the assumption that workforce transformation is inherently slow, and shows that combining verified measurement, personalized development, and employee agency can accelerate learning velocity to four to five times industry norms without sacrificing quality or safety.

For medical device manufacturers balancing innovation speed with regulatory accountability, the insight is direct: the bottleneck to faster capability development isn’t employee capability. It’s clarity. When employees and leaders can see exactly what proficiency looks like and where gaps exist, development becomes efficient, measurable, and fast.

“The velocity here matters for every manufacturer and healthcare organization watching the AI transition,” Katanforoosh added. “Workforce transformation doesn’t have to be a 12-month program. It can be a two-month sprint, but only when you measure capability rigorously, personalize development precisely, and give employees clear proof of progress. In regulated industries especially, that combination is what makes speed and accountability compatible instead of opposed.”

To learn more about how Workera supports workforce transformation in medical device manufacturing and other regulated industries, visit workera.ai.

About Workera

Workera is the AI agent platform built to maximize human potential. Workera reads capabilities from the tools people already work in, verifies them continuously, and does so at scale. Our four purpose-built AI agents handle every talent decision: who to hire, who’s ready to move, where the gaps are, and how to close them. The newest, Ambient Coaching, surfaces skills intelligence in the flow of work. Trusted by the Fortune 100, Workera has been recognized by TIME’s Best EdTech Companies and World’s Top HRTech Companies in 2025 & 2026; the World Economic Forum’s Tech Pioneers; and Inc.’s 2025 Fastest Growing Companies. In 2024, Workera was named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies alongside Microsoft, Canva, and others leading the AI revolution. Learn more at workera.ai.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-medical-device-manufacturer-reaches-best-in-class-learning-velocity-with-workera-upskilling-its-workforce-four-times-faster-than-industry-norms-302804553.html

SOURCE Workera

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Westar Press Releases Revelation and Revenge: Confronting Christian Nationalism

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New book by Chad Venters, Arthur J. Dewey, and Steve Ross features an afterword (Aftershock) by John Dominic Crossan.

What if the ultimate weapon of Christian Nationalism—the “Left Behind” End-Time prophecies—is completely fake?

LOS ANGELES, June 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — An exciting new publication from Westar Press, Revelation and Revenge, rescues the Book of Revelation from modern political scare tactics and restores its originality as a brilliant first-century drama resisting imperial forces.

With urgency and provocation, Revelation and Revenge: Confronting Christian Nationalism challenges one of the most dangerous political ideologies of our time: militant theology based on the Book of Revelation. Biblical scholars Chad Venters and Arthur J. Dewey, and acclaimed illustrator Steve Ross, with an Afterword by John Dominic Crossan, provide an incisive, learned, and accessible book aimed at informing the public about the true story of Revelation and its false representation today.

This book dispels fear-based End-Time prophecies that have dominated the American religious and political landscape for decades. The authors pull back the layers of tradition to expose how modern rapture theology is not an ancient biblical truth but a highly profitable nineteenth-century invention. Today, rapture theology actively weaponizes the political climate to escape environmental accountability, deny scientific reality, and rewrite democratic laws under the banner of Christian supremacy.

Using rigorous historical-critical sources and sharp contemporary analysis, this book investigates the apocalyptic roots of Christian Nationalism. It demonstrates how a first-century text originally written by an exiled political dissident as an act of anti-imperial resistance has been inverted into a zero-sum tool for earthly power and conquest.

“The darkness of ignorance and dishonesty must be undone through the light of education and understanding,” writes coauthor Chad Venters.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Westar Institute, 417098@email4pr.com, (855) 490-0454

Review copies, digital gallery links, and interview scheduling available upon request.

Westar Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to educational and scholarly work. Its imprints, Westar Press and Polebridge Press, share this mission and do not operate for profit. All views in this publication belong solely to the authors and do not represent Westar Institute or its affiliates. As publisher, Westar does not endorse the content and maintains no political affiliations or positions.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/westar-press-releases-revelation-and-revenge-confronting-christian-nationalism-302804610.html

SOURCE Westar Institute

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Snapchat and OUTFRONT Media Launch ‘Crowd Created’ Live AR Spectacle in Times Square on June 18

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HBO Max First Partner for New Innovative Ad Format that Marries IRL and AR – Starting by Putting Fans Into House of the Dragon Ahead of its Season 3 Premiere Using Snapchat’s First-Ever Four-Sided AR Mirror

NEW YORK, June 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — OUTFRONT Media, one of the largest and most-trusted IRL media companies in the U.S., and Snapchat have partnered to launch “Crowd Created.” It debuts today with HBO Max as the launch partner to bring Season 3 of HBO Original series House of the Dragon to life ahead of its June 21 debut.

Powered by the OUTFRONT XLabs innovation arm and Snap Inc.’s technology, Crowd Created is a live AR spectacle in Times Square that marries IRL (in-real-life) with AR (augmented reality). This new ad format is the first Snapchat AR experience to project visitors live onto Times Square billboards in New York City and features the first-of-its-kind four-sided AR Mirror.

From 3PM to 7PM today (June 18, 2026), visitors in Times Square can step in front of the full-body, four-sided Snapchat AR Mirror and interact with custom House of the Dragon AR Lenses to opt-in to see themselves virtually wearing Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen’s crown, placing themselves directly in the world of the series. They will then be able to see themselves and their AR experiences appear live on OUTFRONT Media’s Duffy Duo billboards – two of the most iconic digital signage in the world.

The activation combines Snapchat’s AR technology with OUTFRONT XLabs’ award-winning XTend offering that extends campaigns across screens using augmented reality. The result: an ad experience that transforms a passive walk-by into a shared cultural moment. With more than approximately 400,000 visitors passing through Times Square each day—creating one of the world’s largest concentrations of pedestrian traffic and social sharing – Crowd Created offers brands an innovative way to launch their biggest titles and invite audiences to become part of the campaign itself.

“With Crowd Created, Snapchat and OUTFRONT have transformed the streets of New York into Westeros – dragons and all,” said OUTFRONT Chief Marketing and Experience Officer Stacy Minero. “By combining Snapchat’s industry-leading AR technology, HBO Max’s award-winning IP, and OUTFRONT’s premium IRL media canvases, this campaign demonstrates how innovation can turn real-world environments into immersive experiences that people don’t just see – they step into.”

“AR is one of the most powerful ways Snapchatters engage with the world around them, and it’s amazing to be able to bring that technology to Times Square. We’re thrilled to work with HBO Max and OUTFRONT and bring Westeros to life in a way that lets fans see themselves at the center of the story and on one of the world’s most iconic canvases,” said Laurel Duquette, Head of Media and Entertainment, Snap Inc.

“At its best, fandom is participatory — and we’re always looking to create moments that let fans see themselves in the worlds they love. Through this partnership with Snapchat and Outfront, we’re harnessing innovative technology to bring fans inside the world of House of the Dragon, transforming a simple interaction into a larger-than-life moment,” said Mark Doumet, Vice President, Originals Marketing, HBO and HBO Max. 

This activation is being supported by a two-week campaign throughout OUTFRONT’s NYC ad network to drive attention and awareness for the June 18 event. It is part of a larger, multi-faceted overall campaign for Season 3 of House of the Dragon, premiering June 21 on HBO Max, including a screening in Santa Monica that invites Snapchat creators to see it ahead of time. With 956 million monthly active users and nearly 2 trillion Snaps created in 2025 alone, Snapchat is a significant platform for entertainment marketing. In fact, Samba TV analyses found exposure to Snapchat campaigns delivered a reported 91% lift in theatrical ticket sales and 84% lift in tune-in for TV shows, movies, or sporting events, on average in the studied campaigns. Omnicom Media and Ipsos in-survey-based research found 73% of daily Snapchatters have been influenced to go to the theater after seeing it advertised on Snapchat. The IRL experience also taps into growing demand for personalized and shareable brand intersections, with third-party search indicating that 80% of Gen Z consumers enjoying personalized brand experiences, including AI-powered Lenses, and 60% enjoy sharing content from activations.

About OUTFRONT Media
OUTFRONT is one of the largest and most trusted out-of-home media companies in the U.S., helping brands connect with audiences in the moments and environments that matter most. As OUTFRONT evolves, it’s defining a new era of in-real-life (IRL) marketing, turning public spaces into platforms for creativity, connection, and cultural relevance. With a nationwide footprint across billboards, digital displays, transit systems, and other out-of-home formats, OUTFRONT turns creative into powerful real-world experiences. Its in-house agency, OUTFRONT STUDIOS, and award-winning innovation team, XLabs, deliver standout storytelling, supported by advanced technology and data tools that can drive measurable impact.

About HBO
HBO® is one of the most respected and innovative entertainment brands in the world, serving iconic, award-winning programming through the HBO linear channels and the direct-to-consumer streaming platform, HBO Max, which is available globally in 65 countries. A part of Warner Bros. Discovery, HBO offers an extensive array of programming that includes recent fan-favorite hits like “House of the Dragon,” “The Last of Us,” “The White Lotus,” “Succession,” and “Euphoria,” and iconic titles, including “Game of Thrones,” “The Sopranos,” “Sex and the City,” “Band of Brothers” and “The Wire.”

Media Contacts:

Matt Biscuiti
The Lippin Group
212-986-7080
outfront@lippingroup.com

Courtney Richards
OUTFRONT Media
646-876-9404
courtney.richards@OUTFRONT.com

Stephan Bisson
OUTFRONT Media
212-297-6573
stephan.bisson@outfront.com

Snap Inc.
press@snap.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/snapchat-and-outfront-media-launch-crowd-created-live-ar-spectacle-in-times-square-on-june-18-302804592.html

SOURCE OUTFRONT Media Inc.

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Introducing Kinetik, the first AI agent designed to help predict and monetize social media growth

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Powered by AI, real-time audience intelligence and deep analysis of social media data, Kinetik helps creators optimize content strategies and build more engaged, profitable communities.

LONDON, June 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Kineto, a startup backed by the engineering legacy of JetBrains, has unveiled Kinetik, an AI agent specialized in marketing and social media. It analyzes audience behavior, emerging trends and content performance to help creators and marketing professionals make smarter decisions, grow engagement and accelerate and monetize social media growth.

Unlike generic AI tools, Kinetik operates right in the messenger, such as Slack, WhatsApp, Telegram, and soon iMessage, and connects to Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and X, for deeper context. This helps Kinetik understand the creator’s brand voice, handle content writing in their voice, and prepare social media analytics, competitor monitoring, research, and scheduling.

“Kinetik is unlike any other AI tool that I’ve used. It genuinely understands my voice and the way I work,” said Lyubava Zaytseva, a digital content creator. “It analyzed all videos posted for the last year, provided the insights, and identified the trends in minutes instead of the four hours I would spend on it.”

“The truth about creators’ work is that the majority of their time is spent on understanding the algorithms, researching trends, and analyzing the results instead of creating. People have limited capacity to remember the algorithm rules and adapt the content to them; machines are only limited by tokens. Creators today have more opportunities than ever to build businesses around their content, and with Kinetik, they get the tools for every task,” said Andrew Zakonov, CEO and Co-founder of Kineto.

“With significantly boosted content performance and deeper analysis, creators can now leverage AI not for the quick and low-key content production, but actually for the growth of their business on social media.”

Kinetik helps with the most painful and common content and social media tasks:

Trend Research & Content Ideas: Monitors what’s trending in your niche across Instagram, TikTok, X, and the web, providing specific ideas, advice, and content in your voice. It can also automatically send it to Notion or to the doc if you want to save it beyond the chat.Memory: Remembers your niche, audience, style, goals, and past conversations. Every session picks up where the last one left off, so no explanation is needed.Strong learning curve and personalization: Kinetik can be your coach for the better self, but it also learns from you. It never keeps the sensitive data, but it always keeps your goals and the way you think. Ultimately, this makes AI more useful, but also more tolerant and precise – just like you.Voice Notes: Takes a recorded rough thought and turns it into a content idea that fits your strategy.Content Analysis & Insights: Analyzes your posts, engagement patterns, and audience behavior, as well as peers and/or competitors to tell you what’s working and why.Video Review & Feedback: Analyzes editing, pacing, color grading, composition, and gives filmmaker-level feedback with specific timestamps.

Kinetik is also available in Slack for both personal use and team collaboration. When added to a group chat, Kinetik gives teams access to AI-powered marketing tools focused on content creation, social media management, and influencer marketing, one of the fastest-growing yet least-automated niches in AI-driven marketing.

Visit https://kineto.app/ for full product details, pricing, and to get started with a free trial. Subscription plans for individuals and teams are available and open to creators, agencies and marketing teams from 1 to 100 people. Pricing starts at $12.50 with a discount.

Kineto will be demoing Kinetik at VidCon 2026 in Anaheim, California, at booth #5016. They will also be hosting the Creator Track workshop, “AI Magic Behind Your Content,” on Friday, June 26, from 11:00-11:30 a.m. in Room 210AB, featuring Kinetik CEO Andrew Zakonov and special guest creator Anna Deguzman.

About Kineto & Kinetik
Kineto is an independent startup spun out of JetBrains and backed by JetBrains investments and expertise. The same engineering mindset behind IntelliJ IDEA, coding agent Junie and Kotlin, one of the most popular languages for Android development, launched Kinetik, an AI agent for creators and marketing teams that operates in Slack, WhatsApp, Telegram and iMessage coming soon, with a mission to provide creators with an AI teammate that understands their work and allows them to focus on creating.
Kinetik helps with the non-creative work, including research, analytics, strategy, communication with brands, media kits, scripts from voice notes, trend monitoring, and more. It learns your tone, connects to your social accounts, and remembers context across channels.

MEDIA CONTACT
Sophia Gilbert
The Hoffman Agency on behalf of Kineto
kinetik@hoffman.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/introducing-kinetik-the-first-ai-agent-designed-to-help-predict-and-monetize-social-media-growth-302804624.html

SOURCE Kineto

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